Canned Peaches and Zombies
by monkeeem
Summary: A different take on what happens after Alice arrives on the scene in Extinction, because everyone (including Alice) needs a little more Carlos in their lives!
1. The Return

Author's Note: So for those of you who are returning to this story, someone pointed out to me, months later, that I accidently uploaded chapter 2 as chapter 10…. Oops! So, when I tried to fix it, I was lazy, so chapter 1 and 2 are now combined, hence the line in the middle of the story. To all of those who are new comers, welcome, and the line divides the chapters because I am a) lazy, and b) really stupid. =p Happy reading!

He wrapped his body around Malena, bracing for impact. He knew that it was unlikely either of them would survive, but if he could give her just that much more of a chance, he was willing to give his own life. What was there left to live for anyway, except to give the other's a chance?

He felt the warmth on his back, flames licking at his bulletproof vest, the only reminder he allowed himself of his former post with S.T.A.R.s. He screwed his eyes shut, waiting for the death he had been evading for years. His heart broke for Malena as her grip on him tightened; so young to have seen so much death, and then to experience her own… But the pain never came. He felt the heat receding, felt Malena stiffen in his arms. His eyes snapped open, first glancing down to make sure his charge was safe. She was staring straight ahead, her expression a mixture of awe and terror. Internally groaning as yet another curve ball was thrown at the already overtaxed convoy, Carlos followed Malena's gaze. He would know that silhouette anywhere, no matter how many years pasted between glimpses.

He didn't bother trying to fight the slight upturn of his lips.

The inferno had risen high above them, dropping flaming masses of black feathers in rapid succession. The soot and smoke created a haze impossible for him to see through, leaving him with only his memories and imagination to recreate her face, a face he had craved to gaze at from the moment the privilege had been stolen from him all those years ago.

As flames began to dissipate, Malena pulled herself away from him, hesitating for only a moment before turning and running to Claire and the safety of the convoy. Carlos took a few steps toward his savior before pausing. Behind him, he was sure the rest of the convoy was watching him with horrified expressions. Claire was probably shouting orders at him to come back, maybe ordering others forward to stop him. But no one else would be willing to walk toward this anomaly, this freak, even if she had just saved their lives. She was different, and in a world were life was quickly disappearing, different meant dangerous.

He was only a few feet away now, and it struck him that it had been only a few minutes since her arrival, while to him, it had already felt like hours, hours of waiting, unable to see her, to touch her… The smoke had cleared, and their eyes connected, ice blue with chocolate brown. He saw a flicker of relief in the deep pools, and a slight upward quirk of her lip as he moved forward again. But then she was pitching forward, landing in his arms with all the grace of a bowling ball. That didn't stop him from cocooning her with his body, trying to block out everyone and everything that could ever hurt her. She was breathing hard, too hard for someone with her immense strength. Her grip was desperate, and it too lacked the regular undercurrent of power that all of her movements possessed. She burrowed her head into his shoulder and he rocked her, trying comfort both of them at the same time. Alice was back; _his_ Alice was alive and back.

Time and reality seemed to settle back into place in slow motion, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle snapping together one by one, revealing the picture little by little until suddenly, there it was, the whole image. He heard the others yelling at him, heard Claire giving orders, heard the shifting of sand as two individuals, probably Claire and someone else, ran toward him, felt a hand on his back and heard the revving of an engine in the background.

"Who is she?" Her voice was hard and untrusting, typical Claire protecting her convoy, the reason they had survived so long.

"And what the _hell_ did she do?" Mikey's voice cracked.

"She saved us." Carlos shifted his precious cargo and gently brushed some of her short blonde hair back from her face, cradling her head against his shoulder. He heard Claire muttering under her breath, but he didn't bother to decipher the words.

He rearranged himself to pick Alice up, trying to jostle her as little as possible. Once he had risen to his full height, he turned and looked at Claire and Mikey, both starring him down, one with curiosity, the other with a look that clearly said she expected answers, and soon. "And her name is Alice," he tossed over his shoulder while walking around them and heading for his truck, a limp Alice tightly secured against him. He felt her shift and looked down, only to find her burying her head in his chest. He smiled down at her before suggesting in a loud, commanding voice that they set up camp for the night.

Carlos placed Alice on the couch in the back of his truck.

When he and LJ had joined the convoy, Carlos had been one of the two members to know how to handle a weapon with any skill. In order to keep him complacent under her command, Claire had given him his own truck, Carlos' 'armory' as it would later be dubbed, and made him her unofficial advisor. If Carlos vetoed a plan, everyone went back to the drawing board. This also came with the extra responsibility of being on security detail more often than any of the others, being constantly summoned for meetings, and being asked for advice (from everyone in the convoy, not just Claire) at all hours of the night.

While this really didn't bother him, he was glad to be useful, it allowed for very little time for sleep, so when he saw Alice lying there in his makeshift bed looking so peaceful, he wanted nothing more than to curl up beside her for a cat nap. But Claire had other plans.

"She can't stay here." Carolos sighed and quietly exited the van, closing the door as softly as possible behind him. "I don't know what she is but everyone is scared, and I won't have my entire convoy living in more fear then they already do. I'm thankful to her for her help, but as soon as she is awake and has gotten over this little fainting spell, she's gone."

"She goes, I go." For the first time during their conversation, Carlos drew his gaze away from the horizon to look Claire square in the eye. She was taken aback by the fierce determination in his eyes. Her tone softened a little and she reached out and placed a hand on his arm.

"How do you know her?" Carlos sighed and briefly closed his eyes.

"She was the one to save LJ and I from Raccoon City. Among others." They had begun walking toward the perimeter; may as well make use of themselves while they had 'story time'.

"How did she do it?" Claire's voice had dropped, and Carlos caught the underlying tone of awe that he knew she would hide later in front of Alice herself.

"Umbrella experimented on her. Infected her with the T-virus and-"

"She's infected!" Claire had stopped dead in her tracks and was breathing fire. She reached for the gun at her side and Carlos could see her muscles tensing to run back to the convoy.

"She's not contagious!" Carlos reached forward, but Claire pulled back leveling her gun at his head.

"How can she not be contagious if she is infected! I can't believe you put the entire convoy in such danger! You should have shot her the minute you were safe from the birds! Carlos, how-"

"Claire stop! She is infected with a different strain! Don't you think she would have turned by now if she was infected with the normal strain? I haven't seen her in over five years, and she was infected when she left us! And look at me and LJ! We are just fine!"

Claire lowered her gun, but the angry look remained on her face.

"Keep going before I change my mind."

"Umbrella infected her with a _different_ strain of the T-virus after she escaped infection during the first outbreak at the Umbrella facility called the Hive, where she was head of security." Claire snorted. "Instead of mutating as they expected, somehow Alice's DNA bonded with the virus. And that is what gives her the ability to stop flames and dodge bullets. Umbrella created a 'super soldier' for their own personal use, but they weren't anticipating Alice's mental strength. She has escaped capture twice that I know of, probably more since she left us." Carlos took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "We need her Claire. The convoy is losing members and resources. They need hope. Alice can give them that." He looked at Claire to see her staring him down with a pensive look on her face.

"Does she know?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"That she will bring hope to the convoy? I highly doubt it. She humble to a fault."

"No. I meant, does she know that you love her?" Carlos froze, his eyes locked on Claire's.

"What makes you think that I do?" Claire's lip quirked upward.

"I'll take that as a firm no." She turned and headed back toward the group, tossing her parting words over her shoulder. "She can stay until we decide what we are doing next, then I'll deal with our guest."

Carlos stared after her for a minute before continuing to walk around the perimeter of the camp, eyes on the horizon, but thoughts on the girl sleeping peacefully in his bed.


	2. An Unwanted Guest

"My name is Alice."

"I want him in the Nemesis project."

"My name is Alice."

"Fight him."

"What makes you think I care?"

"My name is Alice."

"Three hours ago."

"Today is your lucky day."

"Carlos."

Alice shuddered as she felt reality slowly seeping back into her mind. She silently took stock, letting memories of the situation that landed her here creep back into her consciousness. Her head hurt, but it seemed that there weren't any wounds that needed tending to. There had been screams, and then birds, a great surge of pain, and Carlos.

Someone was sitting close by.

Not Carlos.

Alice opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a ceiling. Not that of a motel or a house, but of some kind of vehicle. But after spending most of her nights sleeping under the stars, a roof of any kind was a surprise. She brought her hand up to scrub her face, but her eyes were drawn to her wrist. She rolled over, and discovered that she was on a couch. How odd, to have a couch inside a vehicle. Alice frowned as she made eye contact with her silent companion. She was young, with long blonde hair and sad eyes. Those eyes made quick contact with Alice's before darting down toward her newly acquired jewelry.

"Does this belong to you?" Her voice sounded raspy to her own ears, and talking seemed to only make the pain pounding through her skull intensify.

"I gave it to you last night. For luck." Last night. Alice closed her eyes, remembering the searing pain and the fear that coursed through her. But it had been worth it, as was the danger she was currently putting this girl in, because she had saved Carlos. She refocused on the girl.

"So what's your name?"

Alice sat and talked to Kmart for close to 20 minutes. She felt sorry for the girl, one so young to be living in such hell. She should be out having fun with her friends, not fighting for her life, and the lives of the precious few friends she had left. Much as she liked the girl though, Alice forced herself not to get attached. The leader of the convoy, if they knew anything about protecting their people (and based on the fact that Carlos was one of the members, she was guessing they had a very good leader) Alice wouldn't be allowed to stick around for long.

She wouldn't let herself stick around long anyway. She had to protect them, the last few survivors. And Carlos, she had to protect Carlos.

"Where are the others?" Alice asked. Kmart looked sad.

"At the funeral. We lost 7 today. Not the highest number in one sitting, but there are so few of us left…"

Alice reached out and placed a comforting hand on Kmart's shoulder. "Why don't we go join them?" Kmart gave her a guilty look that she quickly hid by looking down. Alice gave her a sad smile. So the convoy did have a good leader; they weren't letting her out of their sight. "Come on."

Alice stood, helping Kmart to her feet at the same time. Once on her feet, another wave of pain swept through her aching skull. She closed her eyes for a moment waiting for the pain to reduce to a manageable level. She let go of the girl's hand, and together they walked out into the dust.

After an understanding nod from Alice, Kmart headed straight for her friends, many of whom had tears in their eyes. Alice caught a glimpse of LJ, crouched in front of a fresh grave, weeping. Her eyes continued to sweep the crowd until they connected with those of Carlos. She wanted to so bad to run now, before she could cause anymore damage, before she had to hear how grateful everyone was to her, but they just couldn't let her stay, before she had to feel the pain of rejection, and worse, the horrible feeling of herself agreeing with them.

She watched as Carlos reached forward and tugged on a woman's arm. She seemed reluctant to move from her front row seat to the grief. He tugged again, this time placing both of his hands on her arms as though comforting her, telling her he was sorry for pulling her away from her family when they needed her. Alice struggled against the jealousy she felt twisting in her stomach. She was too dangerous to have a family, too dangerous to _deserve_ a family that included Carlos. The redheaded woman reluctantly turned to follow him and the two made their way toward her.

"Alice this is Claire Redfield. She's the one that put this convoy together."

"Thanks so much for your help." She reached out to shake Alice's hand. Her shake was firm and decisive, the shake of a leader. Alice returned the shake reluctantly, looking like a dog about to be kicked. She always hated this part.

"Claire!" Someone from the convoy called, and Claire quickly made her apologies and left. Alice felt something akin to hope bubble inside her, but as she was leaving she made eye contact with Carlos. Alice knew that look, the one that meant, "Watch her, something happens it's on you." It was a look that told Alice not to get too comfortable. Claire Redfield was a busy woman; she would deal with her unwanted guest later. Besides, she needed to keep Carlos on her good side, if that meant allowing him to keep his 'pet' a while longer, so be it.

Alice watched Claire go before her eyes returned to Carlos, who was smiling.

Carlos.

He began walking, angling his body toward hers. He was talking about the convoy, their numbers, the trials they faced staying alive. Her heart ached for him, almost as much as her head. But despite the aches, and the words of despair, he was still smiling, and her whole body hummed with excitement. It was Carlos.

"Alice what happened to you?" She looked at the ground. "Why did you leave after Detroit?" She began shaking her head. That voice, it sounded so curious, but she could sense the underlying hurt. 'Why did you leave after everything we had been through? After we had saved you? When you knew I loved you?' She knew what he was really asking. It tore at Alice's heart as she opened her mouth to respond, trying to answer his verbal questions as well as his silent ones, causing as little pain as possible.

"I didn't have a choice, they were using me." Funny how it had been so simple then, the decision to leave. She had known it would hurt, herself and her friends, but she had just known, that is what had to be done. Now, standing there looking into his eyes, full of hurt and confusion and longing, she couldn't think of anything strong enough to pry her away from this man, including herself.

"What do you mean?" She heard the worry in his tone, the fierce need to protect her, just like he had protected that little girl.

"They were tracking me. I couldn't be around you, any of you. I would have gotten you all killed." He looked to the ground, and her heart began aching again, this time for the pain she had caused. She saw it in the set of his jaw, his stance. 'We could have protected you. We loved you.' She pushed forward with her explanation, trying to distract him from his guilty thoughts, thoughts that made her feel just as guilty.

"That's why you disappeared." He was trying to understand, but the hurt was still there, the sting that came with her departure, as if saying they weren't good enough. But it hadn't been them, never, it had been her.

"Broke into an Umbrella facility, and hacked into their computers. Downloaded the satellite trajectories, and stayed off the grid."

"Enough of the world ended, why stay out there alone?" She could see him struggling, struggling with why she hadn't come back to them, to him.

"It's just safer if I'm not around people." Around you, she silently added.

"Why'd you come back?" And then that smile. That was the reason she came back.

She smiled back, but tears began to fill her eyes, and he quickly gathered her into his arms.

She breathed a sigh of relief as he held her. This is why she came back. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip.


	3. Understanding

She could have stayed in his arms forever, warm and strong and loving. He swayed her gently and she felt the tears in her eyes threatening to fall. What she wouldn't give to stay like this forever, no umbrella, no T-virus, just her and Carlos.

But something felt wrong, breaking her from her happy state of bliss. She drew back quickly, and she saw a look of hurt pass over Carlos's face.

"Damn." She grabbed the satellite watch hanging from her belt. She had lifted it from the Umbrella facility years ago, the little device helping her in her quest to stay off of the grid. According to her watch, she still was. "What time is it?"

"Chase! What time is it?" Carlos called up to the man sitting atop the oil truck.

"Well, Carlos, it is 12:14. Why, you got somewhere to be?" His sarcastic reply along with Carlos's reassuring smile made her feel a little silly.

"I guess I'm just being paranoid." She forced a smile.

"Better safe than sorry I guess." He held out his arm to gesture her forward, but was surprised as Alice crashed back into him, continuing the walk with her face buried securely in his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her. Carlos leaned in and took a deep breath, his head resting on top of her hair. God he had missed her.

"So how's LJ?"

"Oh you know, being a pain in the ass as always." He smiled again, pulling her closer. He was surprised when he felt her arms tighten around his torso, as if she was trying to burrow into him. Carlos certainly didn't mind, but it was so un-Alice like that he grew concerned. He glanced down at her head, her face still hidden in his shirt. "Alice, are you okay?" He stopped walking and brought her face up with a knuckle under her chin, so he could look into her ice blue eyes.

"Fine. Just a bit of a headache left over from yesterday's adventures." She gave him a crocked smile before hiding her face again. "The light doesn't really help." Her voice was muffled by his shirt.

"Well why didn't you say so? I know the perfect solution." His arm tightened around her again and he headed in the direction of his van.

Once they were in the dark confines of the van, Alice collapsed onto the sofa, her eyes glued shut.

"I just wish I had slept it off, that's usually the only way I can get rid of them."

"This happens often?" Carlos took her hand and pulled her into a sitting position on the couch, settling beside her.

"Usually only when I use… whatever I used yesterday. It happens more often than you would think, but normally it's an accident…"

"Care to explain how something like that could happen by accident?" He had stripped off his weapons and bulletproof vest, and was now working to remove the scarf covering her head.

"I've been having nightmares…"

"Umbrella?" Her silence told him he was right, so he dropped that line of inquiry and focused on making her headache go away, leaning her forward to that she was lying facedown on the couch with her legs thrown out to the side.

"You said mostly. What else causes them?" He gently slid his hands from her neck to her lower back and back up. He was surprised by how many knots he found. Starting at the base of her skull, he began working out the tension, his warm hands soothing and relaxing the tense muscles. She melted deeper into the couch.

"Mm… Sometimes I get them when I haven't found food in a couple of days. Other times when I haven't been sleeping well." His hands found a particularly tender soft and she hissed. He eased the pressure and continued working the area.

"Alice, you need to take better care of yourself." He said it in a whisper that sent shivers down her spine. Filled with a sudden surge of love for the woman under his hands, Carlos leaned forward and kissed the back of her head. "We may not have a lot, but we make sure everyone is taken care of. Claire is a good leader. You should stay Alice." He braced waiting for the firm, terror filled no, but was surprised when he got no response at all. "Alice?" He paused his ministrations and leaned forward to get a look at her face.

She was sound asleep, her lips curved into a content smile.

Carlos sat up straight and finished working out the knots in Alice's back, happy to have her close, even if it was just for a short while. Once done, he carefully maneuvered them into a laying position, her perched comfortably on top of his broad chest with his arms wrapped securely around her. As he swung his legs up under hers, she stirred briefly, nuzzling herself closer and turning into him.

He was asleep within minutes, a content smile on his haggard face.


	4. Wishing

Alice woke up slowly, reluctantly leaving her dream world where she was safely cradled in strong, warm arms, to be pulled back into…

She paused. Without opening her eyes, she mentally ran down her body, taking in the sensations. She was relaxed, more so than she could ever remember being. She was lying on top of something, or more accurately someone, who was warm and hard. Arms were tightly wrapped around her, holding her in place, and her own arm appeared to be snaked around his torso, the other curled up next to her, with a hand resting on his shoulder. Carlos. No one else could make her feel this happy, this safe.

He took in a deep breath and she closed her eyes, anticipating his voice.

"You awake?" It was quiet, enough that she would hear, but not enough to wake her if she were still asleep.

"Yes. But if 'no' will keep us from having to move, I can change that." He chuckled, his chest rumbling under her ear. His hand came up to stroke her hair.

"Sleep well?" Alice thought for a moment before replying.

"Yes. Better than I have in months. It seems I have found a cure for my nightmares."

She smiled and pulled her head up to meet his gaze. There was that smile again.

"All the more reason to stick around." Alice froze, the smile remaining on her lips, but disappearing from her eyes. There was no way Carlos wouldn't notice.

"Carlos-"

"Shh. I understand Alice. Let's not ruin this moment." He removed one arm from her back to lace his fingers through hers. She returned her head to his chest, a film of tears blurring her vision and making her afraid to blink. "But I will find a way to make you stay Alice. Or I'm coming with you. I'm just as stubborn as you are, and you know it." He bent down and kissed her hair, and a tear made its way down her cheek.

"I just wish it was that simple."

"It is. I promise." She snuggled deeper into him and they lay in silence for several minutes.

A knock on the van door disturbed their peaceful moment. "Hey Carlos! You seen Alice? You better know where she is or Claire will have your head!" When he got no response, Mikey continued. "I know you are in there! Meeting's in five minutes! Get your ass in gear Olivera!" Silence rained over them again.

"I suppose that means we have to get up." Alice sighed and pulled herself into a sitting position on top of Carlos. Her muscles were tensing to stand when Carlos reached up and grabbed her upper arms.

"We've got a few minutes." He too pulled himself upward, but only high enough to connect his lips with Alice's.

He tasted like sunshine and summer, chocolate and something dark and spicy that she could only describe as Carlos. She pushed forward and moaned into his mouth, causing him to pull away.

"We don't have that much time." He was grinning, their foreheads resting together. He opened his eyes to find her starring at him. "What?" She smiled.

"I'll tell you later. We're going to be late." She stood in one swift motion, making Carlos blink in surprise. He looked up to see her smiling. "Off your game Carlos? You getting rusty on me, Old Man?" She gave him an evil grin while he glared back. "Come on Grandpa." She held out her hand. "You've got things to do." He continued to glare and her face softened a bit. "Carlos, you aren't really offended are you?" The grin slackened and she knelt down in front of the sofa. His face remained impassive. "Carlos? You know I was just kidding. If I wasn't some freak of nature, I probably would have broken a hip by now. You are in great shape. And what you can't physically do, your heart makes up for 10 times over. Hmm? Carlos come on…" She frowned and reached forward to touch his face. He hadn't so much as twitched a muscle since the beginning of her tirade.

Just as her fingers were about to make contact with his cheek, feeling his warmth on her cold flesh, he came back to life. In one swift motion, Alice found herself pinned under Carlos on the floor of the van, one hand balancing his weight above her, the other cradling the back of her head so that it didn't make contact with the floor. The breath was knocked out of her lungs; his grinning face loomed above her.

"Who did you say was losing their edge, hmm?" He lowered his face so that it was just above hers, rubbing their noses together. His hand buried in her hair pulled her head up. Their lips crashed together again.

Alice gained control of her limbs, snaking her arms around him and pulling herself flesh against his warmth. Carlos grunted at the extra weight, and rolled them over so that Alice was lying on top of him, his hands running up and down her sides.

Alice reluctantly pried her lips away. "Fine, we are both old," she said breathlessly. Carlos let out a laugh. "But we really do have to go." He groaned as Alice righted herself, and this time he let her pull him to his feet.

"We'll finish this later." His voice had dropped lower than normal, and his already dark eyes were black. Excitement shot down her spine.

"Most definitely," she whispered back. They exchanged a smile before she turned and exited the van. Carlos's hand found its way to the small of her back as they walked. Alice couldn't help herself as she leaned into the touch. She could feel him smiling without looking behind her.


	5. What We Share and What We Don't

The pleasure of having Carlos's hand settled firmly on her back didn't last long. As they approached Claire and the others, the group tensed. Alice's sharp eyes picked up their instinctual movement toward one another, packing together for protection.

She felt Claire staring down Carlos from behind her aviator sunglasses. Reality came crashing back. No matter what she felt for the man beside her, she was dangerous. Carlos had friends in the convoy, a family. She had no right to take that away from him. It would be selfish, and he would be safer without her.

Alice veered to the left, away from Carlos's comforting hand, and headed for the shade provided by the roof over the gas pumps. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, alerting her to the frown Carlos was directing at her back. She continued moving forward at a steady pace.

Once shielded from the sun, she was able to peak over her shoulder and watch as Carlos was enveloped into the tiny group. Many of their faces were in shadow, but she could still see the urgency in their stances.

Unable to watch anymore, she cast her eyes out over the desert, letting her mind wander. She glared up at the sky. It didn't matter how well she played it off in front of Carlos and his friend, they had been tracking her earlier. She had felt the achingly familiar tug as the satellite passed over her, the brief but piercing ring in her ears of the transmission.

"Hey. You got a minute?"

Alice bit back a sarcastic reply. She obviously wasn't doing anything important. Unless staring at the sand would allow her to derive some magical solution to a world being destroyed by a single corporation with a superiority complex.

"Sure."

"Look, everyone is really grateful for what you did-"

"But how long am I gonna stay?" Alice was surprised by the amount of venom in her voice. She disliked the weakness it implied, that despite the terror the members of the convoy currently felt for her, she was still vulnerable; she still felt pain.

"Don't get me wrong, we really are grateful. But they're all talking, what you did out there, and they're scared." And there it was, the pain blooming outward from an indistinguishable point in her chest, stretching outward, threatening to consume her.

"I don't blame them. People have a habit of dying around me."

"Not just you." Alice's eyes snapped up to meet Claire's, the eyes of the fearless, ruthless convoy leader to see her own pain and fear reflected back in them. She was just trying to protect her family, even as it kept shrinking smaller. Although her chest still seared with rejection, Alice felt an admiration for the woman.

"Thanks." Her voice was low, dusty like the wind blowing through the camp.

"How many years have you been out here on your own?" Claire's voice was hushed.

"Too many. And not enough." Alice met Claire's eyes one more time before she pushed herself off the gas pump and walked out into the blazing sun, tugging at her scarf so that it shadowed her face.

Kicking at the sand as she went, she silently made her way around the bus and then the gas tanker. Glancing around and seeing that no one was watching her she grabbed onto the ladder hugging the outside of the tanker and hoisted herself up. Once perched on top, she gazed out over the camp.

They were clumped together, sitting in the shade afforded by vehicles and the roofs of buildings sticking up out of the sand. Although several close friends had just been lost, they were laughing. One group had found a deck of old cards and was playing some kind of poker, using frivolous items lifted from various hotels and gas stations as chips: lipstick, nail polish, a ballpoint pen, a pack of double fresh gum.

They were hungry, tired, and scared. But they were loved. Tears burned in her eyes and she stood and spun in one quick motion, leaping off of the top of the tanker and landing several yards away outside of the perimeter marker. Somewhere in the distance she heard an alarm going off and people yelling at one another. A tear trickled down her cheek, and she began running.

"Alice!" It was Carlos. A surge of pain filled her, and another tear followed the path of the first as her legs moved forward just a bit faster.


	6. Broken But Not Dead

She was unsure of how far she had gone, or how fast she had been running, but she did know that it would be impossible for Carlos to catch up to her. Being the freak show she was, possessing super human speed and agility, she was still aching and gasping for breath, finally collapsing upon the warm sand, far off from any distinguishable land marks.

She pulled her head upward to look off into the distance, where the sun was setting. A tear rolled down her cheek, creating a path in the dust that had accumulated there. Another followed close behind it, and then another. She knew it was stupid, a bad decision. Crying would only cause her to lose water, a precious resource in the desert. She couldn't afford to be dehydrated. At the end of the world, no one could afford to be at anything but perfect physical condition.

Still, she could not stop the tears, nor the gasps for breath and the whimpers and she curled into a ball in the sand and wept.

She loved him. There, she admitted it to herself. She loved him and she couldn't be near him because she loved him. She would get him killed, him and his newfound family. Well, they weren't really newfound. Once she thought about it, she realized that he had been with the convoy nearly four times as long as the sum of the time he had spent with her.

She let out a strangled cry of pain. She knew that anything in the area was probably making its way toward her, attracted by the sound. But she just couldn't bring herself to care. She wanted to die. She wanted this pain to end. And maybe one day, hopefully far in the future, Carlos would die too, and maybe, just maybe, their souls could be together.

Alice's eyes snapped open. She didn't want Carlos to die. Certainly not now, but not in the distant future either. Mentally she knew that he would have to go sometime, everyone did. But at the rate the convoy was losing members, it could be soon. Far sooner than she wanted. She pulled herself into a sitting position, her breathing returning to normal and her tears drying in the dessert heat.

Maybe she couldn't be with Carlos for his safety, but perhaps the convoy couldn't be without her for the same reason. She could keep her distance, make sure that no one ever knew that the convoy had a silent guardian.

Maybe they needed her as much as she needed them.

The thought that maybe someone, anyone, needed her sent a newfound strength coursing through her veins. Alice stood and started walking in the direction she had just come when she stopped short. Surely they wouldn't move out tonight, and she needed to regain her strength before she ran miles across the dessert again. She changed course and headed for one of the nearby rock structures that stuck out of the sand. She easily scaled its height and looked out over the dessert. She didn't see any undead, but that didn't mean they weren't out there. She settled down on top of her rock, hoping that she would have a peaceful night before she headed back toward camp the following morning, back to the man she loved, and the family she couldn't have.

Carlos chased after her as long as his legs held out, but he knew long before his collapse that he wasn't going to catch up with her. If Alice wanted to get away, nothing was going to stop her. She had been out of his sight for nearly half an hour before he finally collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. He heard the hum of the four-wheeler in the distance. Someone was coming to get him.

"Alice." He croaked out before he rolled over onto his back panting, waiting for his ride to pick him up.

He held it together all the way back to camp, through the meeting in which they decided that heading out tonight was the best idea, since Carlos had made quite a ruckus chasing after Alice, calling out to her long after she was out of earshot. He remained calm as they discussed and decided upon heading to Vegas, the only place they were guaranteed to find gas and supplies. He managed to hold himself together while they gathered everyone into the trucks and he took his place in the passenger seat next to LJ. He did all of this without so much as a sniffle.

"Man I wish we had some tunes." LJ lamented.

And then he lost control. He and LJ were the second vehicle in the line, heading toward possibly the most dangerous place they had ever been, and all LJ had done was mentioned the lack of radio, something they all did from time to time while on the road, and Carlos Olivera broke down and began to cry.

"Wow! Man you need to warn a brother before you start with them water works. I don't think I ever seen a grown man cry, let alone a tough ass like you. You gonna give a brother a heart attack or somethin'." Carlos couldn't even manage a response to his now oldest friend as he sat silently shaking with tears running down his face.

"I'm sure she didn't mean nothing by it man. You know it's gotta be hurtin' her too." Carlos barely managed a nod. But he knew it was true. Alice had to love him as much as he loved her. She never said it, but then again neither did he. It was just something that was understood between them.

That's how he knew why she left. She thought she was protecting him, and maybe she was. But he didn't want to be protected if that meant living without her. The world had already gone to shit, there wasn't much else for him to lose. And now he had lost her.

Deep down, he also knew that she had left to protect his friends, the convoy that had become his family for the last several years. But he would have gone with her. Protecting the convoy was a noble act, he should know, he had been doing it for years. But he would rather be a deserter with the woman he loved than a miserable hero with thirty people who all respected him. He knew it was selfish, which is why he was currently drying his tears and reassembling his brave face. But he loved her, and there was no way fix his breaking heart.

"You gonna be aight brother?"

"Yeah LJ. I'm going to be just fine." Carlos turned his gaze to the baked dessert and the setting sun.


	7. Chasing the Past

Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! ^_^ Sorry I haven't undated in a while. Sometimes I forget that I like writing. =p I tried to keep this somewhat close to the movie, even though I twisted the story line all around. Happy reading!

Alice woke early the next morning just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. She didn't waste any time before she was running in the direction she had come, using the remainder of her tracks from the day before to guide her.

She hadn't been running long when she could begin to make out the hotel where the camp had once been. Her emotional pain yesterday had apparently not inhibited her physical abilities. But as she approached, her throat once more clogged, this time with fear.

She entered the former camp site at a jog, slowing to a leisurely pace as she examined the area where the vehicles once stood. There were clear tracks; however they didn't look brand new, meaning they must have left the night before.

Alice shaded her eyes and looked in the direction the tracks were leading before peering toward the sun. She estimated it must be around 9, giving her ample time to follow the tracks before looking for shelter from the satellites at 12:34.

Once again she took off at a brisk run, following the tracks that would lead her to Carlos.

After a brief stop to change drivers and give the kids a snack, the convoy was once again heading for Vegas. Carlos was driving now, but between him and a sleeping LJ was Kmart, who was wide awake and curious.

"So, how did you and Alice meet?" The question caught Carlos off guard, who had been driving in silence picturing the woman in question for close to two hours.

"We met in Raccoon city, after the infection had spread. Alice was the one who got me out."

"Yeah but there has to be more to the story than that. Come on. We've got at least another hour of driving still and no one knows. Believe me, I've asked."

"Oh I have no doubt." Silence once again dominated the van and Kmart sighed and threw herself back against the seat, defeated.

"We were both sent to find a man's daughter; the daughter of the scientist who invented the T Virus."

"And you decided it was a good idea to help that bastard?!"

"We didn't know who he was at the time. All we knew was that he wanted his daughter, and that he was our only way out of the city. And as it turns out, he wasn't a bad guy." Kmart let out a snort. "I'm serious. But that's a different story. Anyway, a comrade, Nicholai, and myself were the only two left from my platoon, who had been sent into the city to help control the infection. I had been bitten by another of my comrades, who had been turned when will we were trying to evacuate the city."

"You've been bitten!" Carlos glanced over to see Kmart's eyebrows nearly in her hairline. He chuckled.

"Yes, but once again, we'll get there. Anyway, Dr. Ashford called us at a payphone, and told us that his daughter was hiding out at her Elementary school. When we got there, we found another group who had also been sent to search for her. LJ was the first one I met." He glanced over at his sleeping friend. "With him was Jill Valentine, a suspended S.T.A.R.s member, who I had high respect for." Carlos's voice gained a tone of loss. "Even then, Alice knew how to make an entrance. We met staring each other down over gun barrels."

"Why am I not surprised." Carlos glanced over to see Kmart smirking in his direction. He couldn't control his own lips quirking up at the memory.

"I remember coughing up blood, one of the signs that the virus is spreading through your system. Alice knew. She was so sure of herself, so confident. When she looked me in the eye, I felt like she knew me, everything about me, from the time I had scrapped my knee falling from a tree when I was a boy, to my first day at training camp to join the military. I still get that sense when I look into her eyes; like she is ancient, has seen centuries pass before her, but her spirit and willingness to get up and fight remain timeless, eternal." Carlos lapsed into a reflective silence.

"… So you loved her the moment you laid eyes on her. Aw! Carlos, you big softy!" Kmart let out a throaty giggle, enjoying the rare opportunity to tease her father figure.

Carlos sent her a glare but was unable to wipe the smirk from his own face.

"Shit!" Carlos slammed on his breaks, barely avoiding crashing into the Jeep in front of them. "What the hell Claire?!" On cue, Carlos's walkie cracked at his side.

"Look sharp everybody! We've hit an obstacle." Carlos heaved a sigh before wrenching open his door and hoping out. "Wake him up. We may need him." He tried to give what would pass as a reassuring smile to Kmart who was attempting to follow him. "Then head to the camper. Stay with the children, make sure they stay safe." He turned to walk away.

"But- Carlos!" He paused but didn't turn. "I can help." The tone of her voice, so often that of a petulant teen, no matter how grown up she had become with the end of the world, was fierce and steady. She was ready.

Carlos turned, pulling a gun from his belt.

"I know you can." He held out the gun, which she had already begun reaching for. "But this is what we need you to do. Those children are our future Kmart. You are our future."

He met her eyes one last time before continuing his trek toward Claire's truck and the source of their newest obstacle.

"What is it?"

"Yeah, and what the hell are we doin' about it. Woke me up from mah nap." Carlos glanced over at LJ, who was a few paces behind him, and was startled by how exhausted he looked. LJ had always been one to take every opportunity to prop his feet up and let the others handle hard labor, but for once he looked like he needed the rest.

"Can we move it?" All attention was again directed to Claire, who was studying what appeared to be an old box car, blocking their path to the nearest gas pumps.

"Well I guess we'll just have to give it a shot." Chase grabbed the hook from the front of Claire's hummer and began hauling slack, walking backwards toward the obstruction.

"Wait!" Claire, who was walking over to help Chase, froze and whipped back to look at Carlos, who had his ear pressed close to the box car, a frown marring his face. "It sounds like…" A thump reverberated through the metal, sending Carlos stumbling back. "Get back! Undead!" He glanced to his right to see that he was not the only one who had already pulled a weapon and trained it on the box car. Another loud thud and the door crashed to the ground in a cloud of sand.

Claire fired the first shot as the waves began pouring out. Another battle for survival had begun.


	8. All the Difference

Carlos didn't know how long they had been fighting, but he knew it was too long. After battling the undead for years, you begin to pick up on things, like how may shots, on average, it will take an experienced survivor to kill a zombie, and how long a fight will last based on the number of people with guns and the number of aggressors.

This fight just didn't seem to be ending. He knew that they would all be out of ammo soon, and the hoard of undead didn't seem to be getting any smaller. He quickly aimed at a zombie chasing after one of the young children and began firing shots. One, it didn't even slow down. Two, it staggered but continued forward. Three, it turned and howled with rage. Four, it started in his direction. Five, it staggered and slowed. Six, it fell to the ground, half of its skull laying a few paces back. Six shots. Normally, Carlos would only have to use three shots to kill an undead, and that was on a bad day. They were slow, and Carlos was a good shot. These _things_ just seemed to move so much faster.

Not having any more time to analyze the situation Carlos spun and began firing into the melee again, fighting his way forward through the mass still surrounding the container they had come from. Somehow, Claire fought her way to his side.

"Something is wrong!" She shouted over the gun fire.

"You think!" Carlos shifted away from Claire and aimed at a few who had escaped the main battle and were heading for the truck where the kids were hiding.

"I meant that they aren't dying fast enough! I'm almost out of ammo! This should be over by now!"

"I know!" That was all the reply he gave before Carlos began to move away from the convoy leader. He knew that had they not been fighting for their lives, Claire would he sending him the glare to top all glares. He knew she wanted more of a response, some sort of plan, but he was more concerned with the screaming he heard from the direction of the vehicles, screaming that sounded an awful lot like K-Mart.

Alice heard the sound of the battle long before she saw it. She was still running, although not as fast as when she started out, because she didn't know how long she would be chasing the convoy. Her heart rose in her throat when she heard the faint sounds of gun fire in the distance. She sped up, running faster than she thought possible, faster than she had ever gone before. The wind tugged at her face, and she realized that she was crying. She was too late.

That thought alone made her legs pump harder. She was _not_ too late. She was going to save them, or she was going to die trying.

She spied the convoy up ahead, bodies littering the ground. Whose bodies, she was still too far back to tell.

Carlos wasn't sure how he had ended up under the truck, but there he was, fighting three different undead with an empty gun. Excellent. He grabbed for the gun in his belt, kicking at the zombie at his feet and holding off the one lunging for his neck. Even as he fought for his life, he heard K-Mart's screams. He had to get to her. She didn't deserve to die yet.

Alice forwent her normal zeal for a grand entrance, instead coming in quickly and silently, picking off the undead trying to tear into the back of the truck containing the children. These were stronger, she noted as she rammed her machete through the last of the pack. But stronger, she thought with a smirk, was still no match for her.

She spun and began heading for what appeared to be the source of the fight, only to freeze in her tracks as she saw Carlos, sliding out from under the tech van with what appeared to be the bodies of not one, but three undead. But he didn't seem to be as concerned as Alice. He pushed them aside and was running to his truck faster than she would have thought possible for someone other than, well, her. Then she heard the screams.

She twisted on one foot and took off in the same direction as Carlos, reaching the truck just as he had throw the door back and tackled LJ, who was covering a still screaming K-Mart. The smell that filled Alice's nose almost made her vomit. Undead. LJ had been bitten. No wonder he had avoided her the entire time she had been at camp.

With lightening speed, she grabbed Carlos and threw him back, making a mental note to apologize later for landing him on his butt in the sand. LJ had already turned and was now lunging at Alice.

A quick jerk of her wrist, followed by a sharp snap, and she let LJ's limp body fall from the truck.

"LJ," Carlos's voice was sad and resigned. It made Alice's heart ache.

"ALICE!" K-Mart's screech brought Carlos's head rocketing up. He stared in disbelief as Alice spun and kicked, sending a now dead zombie flying back several pacing. She pivoted again and offered her hand, sending him a crooked smile as she hoisted him off the sand.

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes can I?" They shared a smile before reality crashed around them again. Carlos turned to shoot at the nearest undead, and when he turned back Alice was already running up the incline leading into a nearby building, chasing after the undead who were threatening his family. He smiled to himself as he ran to join Claire and the others. He counted as he shot at the next undead heading his way. One, it stopped, two, it was down, three, and he was moving on. Maybe these zombies weren't any different than normal. He jumped over the lifeless corpse.


	9. Victoriously Furious

So I have rediscovered my love for the R.E. arc. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the fourth movie yet, so this story is still based on the first three movies only. Although, since I have resurrected Carlos, I suppose this story wouldn't be able to follow the new movie anyway… Hmm… So, enjoy reading, if I take forever to post again, spam me with reviews to remind me *winks Oh! And bunches of thanks to everyone who is reviewing! ^_^ They make me happy. Hehe

To say Alice was furious was an understatement. She stood motionless, blades at her sides, and watched through unblinking eyes as the convoy battled below her. Her heart clenched as she watched Carlos being wrestled to the ground, only for him to spring up again, the lifeless corpse thrown to the side as he moved on to the next aggressor. When he moved out of her line of sight, she would have screamed in furry if she had control of her vocal cords.

She was supposed to be protecting him!

Instead, she focused inward. At first she battled with the connection as she used to whenever Umbrella attempted to gain control of her, but she found this just as fruitless as it had been five years ago. Internally groaning in frustration, she redirected her efforts, exerting every ounce of control she could over the link between her and the satellite. Much to her surprise, she found that she was able to follow the connection, a hum that grew steadily louder as she traced it back to its source. After a few moments, she felt her mind bumping against something.

The ringing she felt in her ears was enough to make her think her head would explode, but as Carlos moved back into her line of vision, she pushed harder against whatever was blocking her. She felt a faint sizzle and a pop that reverberated through her mind.

For the briefest moment she was afraid she had gone blind, but realized that her eyes had slammed shut at the first opportunity. She blinked several times trying to rid herself of the sandy film that was clouding her vision. She allowed herself only a moment of elation at her achievement before hopping onto the ledge of the incline leading to and from the building. There was still a battle going on, still people she loved in danger. From her vantage point, she was able to see all of the battle happening below her. Carlos and Claire were holding their own, standing five feet apart and shooting down anything that tried to get near the children. The few others that were left weren't fairing so well.

She leaped onto the back of the shipping contain, and ran at full speed, blades out and at the ready, before hurling herself at two undead feeding on a former member of the convoy. She took a moment to slice through the spine column of the fallen member, wincing at the loss but unwilling to let the rest of the convoy have to deal with their former friend trying to kill them. She pushed herself forward; she didn't have time to mourn now. She took off toward the building across the street. She could already feel the tugging at the back of her skull. It felt like they had rerouted another satellite. Bursting through the door and taking the steps two at a time, Alice headed to face her 'maker'. And she was _not_ going to be the one dying in this encounter.

She fought off an extremely strong burst of static in her ears as she kicked open the door to the roof. She wasn't sure if her hands were shaking at the sight of the Umbrella assembly, or the signal still fighting for control over her body.

"Shut her down!" The panicked voice of Dr. Isaacs was the end of her sanity. Alice's blades began tearing through Umbrella agents with her regular determination and just a little personal fury. She didn't even realize when the satellite signal completely disappeared. She ripped through the tent only to hear the Isaacs begging for antivirus and the sound of the helicopter taking flight. She spun and took aim at the fuel tanks on the bottom of the helo, only to let the weapons fall back to her sides.

"Why didn't you shoot?" Hearing K-Mart's voice jogged Alice's memory, she recalled hearing K-Mart calling after her as she tore into the building, but she had been too focused to acknowledge the call.

"Because, we aren't driving to Alaska." Alice turned and gave the girl a quick smile before she moved to the ledge of the roof to overlook the scene below. She watched as Claire slammed her boot into the back of a struggling zombie, holding it down while Carlos shot two bullets into its head. The pair shared a look before moving toward the truck sheltering the children. The few other survivors who had been involved in the battle moved to follow their leader. Alice gave a tight smile before turning back to K-Mart.

"How much do you know about computers?" The young girl only raised her eyebrows.

Couldn't really decide where to end this one, so the next chapter might just get added to the end of this. Let me know what you think! =)


	10. Woops

Thanks for the reviews (again)! I'm happy to say that while the thought of writing a new chapter is daunting, when I start going I don't really have to think, the characters just kind of make themselves. Now if only my life worked that way… hehe. Special thanks to Osage, I will at least wait until I am able to erase the bad taste by watching the trilogy before I see the fourth movie ;) Let's see if I can finish this story in this life time shall we? =D

Between the two of them, Alice and K-Mart had managed to hack into the computer system and where playfully arguing about which files to open and what could possibly be in some of them.

"Oh! This one is called 'Operation Dogfood'! I bet it's something good!" K-Mart began to enthusiasticly click on files. Alice laughed from her lounged position in the second desk chair, her feet propped up on the table.

"At this rate, it's going to be Christmas before we find that chopper!" Her smile died as K-Mart stared her down. "What?" Alice had the feeling she had just stepped in it, and she didn't even know what 'it' was! "I'm sorry if I-"

"Christmas! In Alaska! You think there will be snow?" K-Mart's entire face seemed to be one huge grin. It was Alice's turn to stare before bursting into laughter at the childish enthusiasm.

"For the convoy's sake, I sure hope so. I'm afraid of the face you'll make if it's dry and dusty there too." K-Mart did pull a face at this and turned back to the computer. Alice continued to smile to herself and started to lean back.

"K-MART!" The shouting from the convoy below sent her rocketing to her feet.

"What? What is it? Alice?" K-Mart looked alarmed at her sudden movement while Alice simply looked queasy.

"Woops," was all she said before she started for the door leading to the stairs, tugging K-Mart behind her.

"What! Alice! Tell me what's going on!" But Alice didn't reply, instead trying to block out the hysterical screams she could still faintly heard from outside, now coming from not only Claire, but Carlos and someone else as well. "Alice!" This time K-Mart's voice sounded less like pleading and more like a command. Alice quirked a smile. Claire was rubbing off on her favorite youngster. "Tell me what is going on."

"You didn't tell anyone you were coming up here." It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and Alice perceptively sped up her pace as soon as the words exited her mouth. They suddenly seemed more real, more so than even the frantic screaming.

"No, everyone was fighting and I… didn't… Oh."

"Yes. 'Oh.'" Alice let go of K-Mart's wrist, trusting her to follow behind her at a quick pace now. They were nearing the bottom of the steps, and the screaming was becoming clearer, so much so that Alice could _feel_ K-Mart wince behind her when it finally became audible to her less trained ear.

"Woops," she repeated Alice's word from earlier just before they opened the door and the sunlight hit them.

Everyone had their backs turned to them, shouting at the buildings on the other side of the road where most of the survivors had run for cover earlier. Alice watched as Carlos came charging out of one building, moving straight for the next. Her chest filled with love even as her stomach clenched with guilt. She was in _so_ much trouble…

"Hey! Are you guys _trying_ to attract everything within a 50 mile radius?" K-Mart's voice cracked like a whip and everyone froze for a moment. Alice glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the younger girl standing feet apart, hands on her hips, looking like an angry drill sergeant. Alice's lip quirked upward.

"Where in the _hell_ have you been?" If Alice hadn't been such an experienced fighter, she would have outwardly flinched at Claire's rebuke. As it was, she only had to deal with the internal upheaval as she watched Claire stalking toward them, an angry looking Carlos not far behind. She was surprised to see K-Mart standing her ground next to her, not shrinking back in the slightest, although her face seemed to have lost some of its fierce determination.

"I'm sorry. I-"

"You're SORRY! Didn't you hear us calling for you? We thought you were dead! And we couldn't find a body! Do you know what that is like? Thinking that you were off turning into a flesh eating monster somewhere? That you were going to come back and kill us in our sleep? Do you know how nerve racking that is?" There was a horribly long moment of silence where the two women stared each other down, and then K-Mart was launching herself into Claire's arms and Claire was sobbing hysterically, practically squeezing the life out of K-Mart.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so-," Alice's gaze traveled away from the pair to a still angry looking Carlos, who was staring intently at the ground.

"I have to get back." Everyone's gaze, as a crowd of survivors had at some point gathered to see the reunion, shifted to Alice as she pivoted to return to the computer.

"Where are you going?" She was surprised that it was Claire's voice, and it didn't sound the least bit threatening or commanding. Before she could respond, K-Mart was pulling away from Claire and following Alice.

"I'm going to go too. We hacked the computer that Umbrella left behind and-"

"Umbrella!" This time it was Carlos, and he sounded furious. "Umbrella was here?" K-Mart didn't respond, leaving Alice to turn and find Carlos's eyes pinned to her.

Her suspicions were confirmed, he looked ready to kill.

"Yes."

"So they were the reason we lost so many? _They_ put that container in our path!" She winced.

"Yes. It was a trap. For me."

"So what you are saying, is that you left without so much as a goodbye to protect us, only to have to come storming in to protect us because you left us, _to protect us_, to begin with!" His eyes were blazing. He threw his hands up, one still clutching his gun. "In what universe does that make sense?"

"Carlos-"

"Don't 'Carlos' me! Half to convoy, including LJ, is dead because of _your_ self esteem issues!" Alice visibly flinched backwards, and Claire let out a startled gasp.

A breathy, "Carlos," was all in the way of a rebuke Claire could offer. Everyone stood shock still for a moment, waiting for someone to make the first move. "All right people! Shows over! I want everyone to pair off and take a gun! Make sure it is fully loaded before setting out! Then I want-" Claire had moved away ushering all of the survivors back toward the vehicles, leaving Carlos, K-Mart, and Alice.

"I'm going to go… take another look at those files." K-Mart bolted from the scene, the door clanging shut behind her.

Alice and Carlos continued to stare one another down.


	11. What's All This?

The silence pushed on her eardrums, making her head pound almost as painfully as her heart.

"Carlos I-"

"Damn it Alice! I don't want to hear that you are sorry, and I don't want to hear that you had to do it to protect us!" His voice had returned to its normal volume, and his expression seemed to have lost some of its rage. He stalked forward and wrapped his hands firmly around her upper arms.

"I _love_ you Alice!" He shook her slightly for emphasis. "I don't _care_ if it puts me in danger, I'll leave the convoy and we'll go and never look back. You don't have to do this alone! I have enough grievances against Umbrella to justify a vendetta! Let me help you." He stared at her hard, but she refused to lift her eyes from the sand.

"I'm sorry… About LJ," she said in a ragged whisper. A tear slipped down her cheek and he felt his heart break.

"Oh, Alice. I'm so sorry. I don't blame you for that; I know it wasn't your fault. Come here." He pulled her into his arms as she broke down into sobs. "Shh… It's okay. It wasn't your fault. Shh…" He rubbed circles on her back, but his soothing words only seemed to make her shake harder.

"I've killed so many people Carlos! And I could kill so many more! Without even trying! I could kill you! I couldn't live with myself if that happened! I-" The rest of her words disintegrated as she lost her battle against her tears and collapsed into his shoulder again.

"Shh. Calm down. You're not going to get me killed." He rocked her back and forth as he had done on the day she had saved him from the flames. "I'm not going to go down that easily. You know me better than that. Hmm?" Her cries quieted and he pulled her face back to stare into her eyes. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you. But you've gotta stop leaving me like that. _That's_ what is going to kill me Alice, living without you." He stared at her for a moment before a grin quirked over his serious expression. "That was the cheesiest thing I've ever said wasn't it?" She smiled and nodded before they both dissolved into laughter, collapsing into one another. After a few quiet moments of clutching each other like they would disappear, Alice pulled back.

"LJ was infected when I came to camp."

"What?" She winced. In hindsight maybe that hadn't been the best way to phrase that particular sentence. Carlos's voice was both surprised and accusing, but he was waiting (somewhat impatiently) for an explanation. "Did you know?" She shook her head, refusing to look him in the eye.

"No. He avoided me the whole time I was there. I wondered… But I just assumed that it had something to do Jill and Angie…" She paused, bringing her gaze up to meet his. "What happened to them Carlos?" She whispered. His gaze flicked over her left shoulder and back to her eyes.

"Later." He took her hand and shifted them toward whoever was coming their way. She discreetly whipped her eyes on her sleeve before turning to Claire, who was now only a few feet from them.

"Everything okay here?" Both parties nodded, but did not speak. "Good. So what's all this about Umbrella being here?" Alice's brain seemed to go into overdrive. In her emotional upheaval, she had forgotten about Umbrella. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on Claire. Carlos squeezed her hand in silent support, but she could tell that he was just as curious.

"The undead were a trap. Or more likely some test; Umbrella loves treating me like a lab rat in whatever manner will result in the most casualties." She gritted her teeth and spoke through clenched teeth. "These creatures were stronger. My guess, they are some newly created pet project of Isaacs'."

"Sounds like him." Carlos's hand had dropped from hers, his arms now crossed across his chest, adding to the enraged look on his face. "So? You're still here. Guess his plan didn't work, again." He smirked at the idea. Alice only shuddered.

"He was able to shut me down." The grin dropped from Carlos's face and Claire only looked confused. "I was moving, trying to get back to the main fight, and then I just… wasn't anymore." She looked at the sand again, her own arms crossing in a defensive gesture. "He must have rerouted the satellites at some point. I could see you guys fighting, but I couldn't-" She paused again to suck in a deep breath. "I tried to fight it, like I used to, but it didn't work. So I followed it."

"Followed 'it'? What's 'it'?" Claire didn't look any less confused.

"The signal. From the satellite. It hurt like hell, I thought my head was going to explode. But then there was just this… pop. And I was free again." She shrugged. "They tried it again when I was heading for their tent, but it didn't bother me as much that time. I think I managed to break something, or at least damage it enough to keep them from having total access." She glanced at Carlos when she said this. Although her face remained stoic, his beaming smile more than made up for her lack of outwardly displayed emotions. She gave him the tiniest of smiles, but her gut continued to churn. They weren't in the clear just yet. Umbrella had wanted something, and whatever it was, they hadn't gotten it. Alice was willing to bet that years of being underground had done little to improve Umbrella's hatred of failure, or their zeal for destroying human life to meet their own ends. She had the strong and impulsive urge to spit on Dr. Issacs at the moment.

"What tent?" Alice's attention returned to the present, and she focused on Claire again.

"I'll show you." And with that she turned to lead them to the roof.

So, I'm not really sure where to go from here. I'm going to have to figure out how to get them into the Umbrella facility and how far past that point in the movie I want to go, or if I just want to end it once they get inside. And will Alice even let Carlos go with her? Not that she really has a choice… So many decisions! =( I'm terrible at making choices! SIGH! So, I don't have the internet right now, so it might be a while before I get this chapter up, and all of the chapters I plan on writing now that I don't have youtube and facebook to distract me =p Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to get more up soon!


	12. You Don't Say

K-Mart eyes widened and she barely managed keep her lunch down as she turned her eyes way from the screen. Those sick _bastards_.

She had decided to wait for Alice before she started going through anything on the hard drive. She would know better than K-Mart what was relevant and what was corporation junk, but they were taking longer than expected.

She had only clicked on one video, the one labeled 'Dog Food'. The title was innocent enough. She had been expecting something silly and mundane, like a scientist describing the best process for achieving the perfect dog bone shape. What she found both terrified and enraged her. Well, it would once she was done fighting against her roiling stomach.

She heard the clang of the metal door to the stairwell being thrown open. She craned her neck to look between the tent flaps to see Alice, followed closely by Claire and a Carlos, coming toward her.

"K-Mart?" The panicked quality of Claire's voice alerted K-Mart to the moister on her face.

"I'm fine," her voice came out weak and thin. She straightened in her chair and gestured to the screen without looking at it again. "It… was just a bit of a shock." Claire walked around her to get a better look while Alice moved toward the crate in the corner that had escaped K-Mart's attention until now.

"Oh my god," Claire's gaze was fixed to the screen, her mouth slightly agape. "Why would they even…"

"What is it?" Carlos had joined them now, also looking at the monitor, but he managed to keep his expression mostly neutral. Only the slight downward quirk of his lips belied his displeasure.

"I met them." All three heads whipped around to look at Alice, whose eyes were still focused on the box she was going through. "Just before I met up with the convoy. They're dead now." She turned back to them with a grim expression, her eyes just briefly flicking to the screen before settling on K-Mart. "Maybe we should turn that off now?" K-Mart nodded mutely before turning back to the screen, trying to look at the surveillance feed as little as possible while she closed the video. "Did you find anything else?" Alice had finally joined the rest of the group in front of the computer.

"No…" K-Mart cleared her throat before going on, her voice gaining in confidence as she continued. "I looked through some of the archives, but I figured you would be more able to tell what is important and what isn't." She pulled up the archives menu and vacated the seat for Alice. She didn't take it.

"There's antivirus in the crate." Claire let out a puff of air and K-Mart's wide eyes would have been comical if it wasn't such a serious topic. Carlos merely arched a brow, but Alice could feel the excitement radiating from him. "The injured need to be treated as quickly as possible." She shot a glance at Claire, who reanimated immediately, hefting the crate into her arms before turning to Carlos.

"Oh no. You think after that stunt she pulled yesterday I'm just going to leave her up here by herself with an Umbrella computer?" While there was a slight lilt to his voice, Carlos's eyes had a slight hint of panic in them as he stared at Alice, who's gaze remained glued to the floor. "Take K-Mart. If the crate is too heavy send someone else up for it." He walked over to Alice, lifting her chin and pinning her with his eyes. "So how about we get started, huh?"

Alice was faintly aware of Claire and K-Mart shuffling through the tent flaps, the large crate between them, but her eyes, as well as most of her other senses, remained focused on Carlos. A charged silence passed between them, before Alice once again found herself snuggled in Carlos' strong embrace, her own arms wrapping around his waist.

"I won't leave again." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, and Carlos stiffed almost immediately.

"What?" His voice was equally soft, but held much more urgency. Alice smiled against his chest. She pulled back just enough to be able to look up into his face.

"I won't leave you again. I can't promise to always stay with the convoy." She reached up to rest her hand on his cheek. "I have obligations to Umbrella." Her voice fell flat and her eyes burned for a moment before she returned to normal, resting once more against Carlos' broad chest. "But I can promise that I will not leave you, as long as you want me to stay." His arms tightened around her for a moment before his hands landed on her upper arms and yanked her away from his chest. For a brief moment, she felt a crippling rejection that made her knees weak, before his lips crashed into hers.

All thought left her, with the exception his name resounding through her brain over and over again, growing louder when his tongue boldly entered her mouth, entangling with her own. Her hands moved up of their own accord to thread through his hair, and in response she felt his hands slide down her body to rest on her hips, leaving a trail of fire behind them as they continued to caressing her lower back, tugging her hips closer to his.

At some point, maybe minutes- or perhaps years- later, Alice pulled back, breathing heavily. She immediately missed the warm of his kisses, and it seems he felt a similar displeasure at the loss of contact, as he growled deep in his throat and began moving toward her lips again.

"Stop." Her command came out breathy and more question than statement, but Carlos halted never the less, a slight look of hurt flickering behind his eyes before he moved back.

"Sorry." She grabbed for his hand as he continued to back away.

"No." She pulled herself closer to him again, but was careful to avoid becoming ensnared by her lust again. "I… We just… We need to find Umbrella." She finally caught her breath and looked up into his face. His expression was still slightly guarded. She smiled at him, letting her happiness shine through her expression before it shifted to a coy grin. She leaned up to whisper in his ear, pressing the length of her body flat against his in the process. "We'll have to finish this later," she whispered in his ear. She then lowered herself back onto her heels, letting her body slide against his until she was once again flat footed. When she stepped back she was highly satisfied to see his eyes squeezed shut as he attempted to regulate his breathing.

"Alice…" Her name came out as a moan, and she took a deep breath before forcing herself to back away from his warmth. His eyes opened, they were a deeper shade of black than usual, and he too took a ragged breath before straightening himself and smiling. "So, this computer that Umbrella left…"

Alice was fairly certain that the smile she wore was permanently etched on her face. She gave a slight nod and moved to the computer, Carlos following to take the second desk chair. She paused a moment, her hand hovering above the mouse.

"Oh. I almost forgot." She turned to face him, smiling for what felt like the thousandth time since her return. "I love you too." His eyes widened comically and a huge grin spread across his face, filling her with what she figured must be the warm fuzzy feeling everyone used to talk about.

"You don't say?" Was all he said, though the grin never left his face, and he reached over to tuck some hair behind her ear as she turned back to the computer and focused on the task at hand.


End file.
